Hook… I Will Always Find You
Chapter Six
Back in the Underworld…
After what felt like hours since Hades' minions had returned the pirate captain to his prison, Killian gasped in pain while he finally struggled to sit up from having been dragged between the thugs and thrown down into a dimly fire lit pit with chain linked shackles locked tightly to his upper arms and ankles, then he leaned back against one of the walls behind him to try to help him to remain upright. When he opened his eyes again, he weakly looked around him to try to get a better look at his surroundings because he wasn't lucid enough to do so before.
Killian found that his hook and brace were missing like he expected, as most of those who've ever taken him prisoner in his past have done to prevent him from using his hook to help him escape. And when he looked up, he also saw he was several feet beneath the ground of whatever part of Hell he was trapped in. Four torches burned at the top of each corner of the pit and finally, a single chain hung down from above that was attached to his shackles so that whoever came to drag him out of his prison at any point could pull him up.
"You know… this rock pit reminds me of one I was once held prisoner in as well, when my daughter and I were trapped in the Enchanted Forest," a familiar voice spoke out from the shadows within a corner of the pit until the person it belonged to walked into the light enough for Killian to see Mary Margaret now standing a few feet away from him. "Only, this one's a bit bigger than that one was. You're lucky."
"Mary Margaret?" Killian uttered strangely, while he stared up at the woman wearing a white blouse, pink sweater, and jeans just as she was back when he first met her and Emma in the Enchanted Forest in surprise upon seeing her trapped with him. "But how… You're not really here, are you?"
She smiled at him callously and then responded, "I'm about as real as you're willing to believe I am, Killian. Is there a reason why you might be feeling guilty because of something you might have done to that real Princess up there in the land of the living?"
He allowed his head to fall back against the wall still behind him as he closed his eyes again and answered, "This is to be Hades' newest form of torture then. To see the ghosts of all those I've wronged in life as they torment me with my own guilt? Or just those I've wronged since becoming the bloody Dark One?"
"You've got it," Emma's mother replied smugly, then knelt in front of him. "Your first guess that is. So, what was it you did to her that's killing you inside? It could help you to talk about it."
"I doubt it," the Captain responded. "But you're a hallucination from my own mind, so you know as well as I that you're right about me feeling guilty. I nearly strangled you to death along with your husband. Her husband. I worked with Cora years ago to try to kill Mary Margaret back then too. Nearly prevented… No. We're not going to do this. You're not going to try to convince me to give anything away to help Hades."
All of a sudden, the delusion of Mary Margaret faded away when another appeared in the form of his own brother as Liam knelt down next to the younger Jones as he spoke cruelly saying, "That isn't why this is the torture Hades chose for you, little brother. He already knows all he needs to know about you and those you love."
Killian turned his head to face his long dead brother as he answered, "I can handle whatever hallucinations that are conjured up in this hellish pit. While I was still alive and fighting against the darkness, I saw delusions of both Rumplestiltskin and Nimue. Years ago after I lost you… after I lost Liam, I saw delusions of him too any time I fell into a drunken stupor. Whatever it is you're after, you won't get it."
"I've already told you, Killian… I didn't come here to get anything from you," the ghost replied darkly. "I'm here to make you suffer because we both know you carry heavy guilt over my death, after you buried it so deep down inside of you so that no one would ever see it unless you wanted them to. Well… except for Emma of course. She always could see through you no matter what you did to hide yourself away."
"Like I told Hades… we're not talking about her," the younger Jones retorted crossly while he glared back at the demon with his brother's face. "We're not going to speak of Liam or any of the rest of my sins anymore either. I know all that I've done! I've known the monster I am my whole life and I've never believed any differently about myself. Is that what you want to hear?"
Once again the delusion faded away when Emma suddenly appeared from the shadows and also walked forward until she was standing just above him, then Killian closed his eyes as he struggled to drown her voice out while she responded, "Maybe so, Killian. Maybe you have accepted that you're still a monster, but that's only because you lived with the darkness inside of you for a short time. But a small part of you actually believes you had become somewhat of a hero for the woman you love so you could win her heart. But just like you deceived me… you have deceived yourself even more."
She slowly knelt down in front of him as she continued, "You were never a hero. You were always just a villain who pretended to be something more because you were afraid of who you are. You are weak because you couldn't live with the guilt that's plagued you since you got your brother killed, as well as after you've murdered all those you've killed since you became a pirate and then the Dark One like your oldest enemy… And on top of all of that, you destroyed any chance you might have had with Emma from the moment you greedily took the darkness into yourself and accepted its power just like Rumplestiltskin did so eagerly too. Deep down, you wanted the power for yourself so that you would have an excuse for your horrific actions while being who it was you really are. You could have had your crocodile and you would have had the darkness to blame his death on just to make yourself still appear a hero in poor Emma Swan's eyes. Yet even with all that power, you still couldn't kill him. You're pathetic!"
"She must have seen right through you, Killian," Milah added when she too appeared as Emma's ghost vanished like all the rest. "No matter how much you might have tried to deceive her and yourself, Emma always must have known that deep down you were always just a monster. She never really loved you. How could she? She only pretended to love you so she could keep you on her leash. Your latest whore was right. You really have become a pathetic version of the legendary Captain Hook whom I used to love. How foolish I was to really love you. On second thought… I'm not so sure I did love you either. The truth is, you were only good for our nightly wild romps. Since making love to my husband repulsed me."
Before Killian could stop her, Milah leaned in close and began to kiss him. Tenderly at first, until she slowly began to heighten her seduction as she started to reach one of her hands beneath his tattered shirt to touch his skin. However, he swiftly grabbed her hand and shoved the delusion of the woman he loved and grieved over for two hundred years away from him.
"You threw my memory aside like I never existed the moment you met that other woman," the dark haired woman said to him again. "Eventually, you would have thrown her away for someone even more interesting too. Emma Swan was nothing more to you than a pretty blonde distraction. Admit it, Killian. Admit it, and just maybe you might find yourself a little relief from this hell you have created for yourself down here. As a reward for good behavior."
Emma suddenly appeared again on his other side while this time Milah's ghost remained as well, as his delusion of the Savior also leaned in even closer than his former lover had moments ago and began to caress Killian's cheek, then began to kiss him like Milah had done while the other woman stood on her feet again so she could step back. However, while Emma's kisses deepened, she suddenly plunged a replica of the Dark One dagger with Rumplestiltskin's name engraved across its blade deep into his stomach like he had done himself to destroy the darkness, causing Killian to cry out in anguish and shock.
"You didn't sacrifice a damn thing for me!" her ghost sneered at him cruelly when she looked him again in his eyes as Killian struggled to look up into hers. "You wanted the darkness for its power so you could become even more powerful than Rumplestiltskin. You never gave up your revenge at all, did you? Admit it! This was always about killing your damn crocodile. I was only ever a means to an end. You pretended to love me so I would help you gain your revenge at last and so long as you had the darkness once it became yours, he didn't. You just needed to find your way back to Storybrooke so you could finally kill him. But then you sacrificed yourself instead… because in the end you were weak and had allowed yourself to grow soft, just as every other pirate and your enemies now knows about you too. Soft…"
"Pathetic," Milah added smugly as she reached down and yanked Killian's head back by gripping his hair tightly in her hand.
Finally, David also appeared among them while he spoke as well saying, "You're nothing but a poor excuse for a pirate who was never going to be good enough for my daughter."
Mary Margaret returned at last too as she uttered, "David's always been right about you."
"Tell me, Killian…" Emma seductively whispered to him again as she leaned in close once more, her face barely an inch away from his own, then reached her hand up to his cheek again to tenderly wipe away the tears that had begun to fall from his eyes. "Are you wishing for death to come for you? To take you away from all this pain and suffering you brought upon yourself? I'm afraid that won't be possible. Death has already come for you because you killed yourself like only cowards do. This is your eternal damnation and your sins will continue to haunt you… forever."
"Just… just as they sh… should," Killian answered weakly, as he closed his eyes again and swallowed before he closed his mouth at last to bite back his pain ridden gasps threatening to escape from him.
The delusions' taunts continued on and on for what felt like hours to Killian, when it really was no more than one… as his chains locked to the shackles he wore were suddenly pulled on, then the prisoner trapped within the pit began to be hauled out until Killian finally came face to face with a man he thought he had seen the last of on the night of the dreaded storm which had killed every member of a pirate crew except for himself and the older Jones brother. None other than the real Captain Silver and a few of those who had gone down with their ship.
The slave master smiled cruelly at him while Killian remained suspended in the air above their heads by his arms, as Silver stated, "Well… well… well… Hades told me you had finally arrived, but I almost didn't believe it after being trapped down in this hell for over two centuries waiting for a chance to gain my revenge at last."
All of a sudden, Hades appeared within blue flames in front of the pirate and his slave as well, as the God haughtily replied, "I promise you that you'll have a chance to torture this whelp of yours soon, but it won't be in front of Liam just yet. I have plans for him too."
"You told me the brothers Jones are the reason why my crew and I were all killed in the storm that night, while they survived because of some deal the older one made with you… all for glory," Silver angrily retorted as he turned away from the one handed man in front of him to face the ruler of this realm.
"I did… and it's the truth, but I don't want Liam to know of this one's arrival down here just yet," Hades responded and then turned back to look up at Killian, who was glaring down at him. "Right now, the older Jones has been very compliant with me and I prefer things to stay as they are for a little longer."
Killian spoke again in disbelief while he painfully uttered, "Wha… What you said about Liam… you're lying. He'd never make a deal… Not with you. Not… not like that."
The deity smiled cruelly as he sneered, "I can imagine how difficult this is for you to believe, but didn't you ever wonder how you both survived that night when everyone else aboard that ship died? And with the Eye of the Storm no less."
When Killian shook his head in denial, Hades let out a sigh and raised his hand to Killian's forehead once he used his magic to lower the chains suspending the prisoner until they were at eyelevel, then he continued, "Perhaps you will accept the truth if you see what happened that night for yourself. Allow me."
A memory that wasn't Killian's own was suddenly forced into his mind once he felt Hades' hand touch his forehead, as Killian then found himself within Silver's quarters aboard the old ship, and he saw his brother, Liam standing before him looking at a map in the dark, in an attempt to try and find a way to avoid the hurricane once the brothers took over Silver's ship and crew in their mutiny against the pirate captain.
"You know, reading without the proper light can do a real number on your eyes," the God said when he suddenly appeared before the older Jones without any use of theatrics.
"Who are you?" Liam asked him in surprise, not recognizing the stranger standing in front of him, nor having heard anyone enter the room.
"Who I am isn't important," Hades answered him coolly. "What is, is I'm here to help you. Here. Allow me."
The deity stepped forward as he struck a match and lit the candle on the table between the men, then stated, "Ahh. Yeah. Yeah. There. That's better. You know, this mutiny isn't going to look good for you. Your dreams of captaining a ship in the King's Navy are over."
Liam stared at the man in concern while he questioned, "My dreams? How do you know about them?"
"I… I know a lot about you, Liam," Hades replied with a laugh, then sat down at the table. "Is it still dark in here? Let's try this."
"You!" Liam immediately cried out in fear when the God swiftly set his hair on fire before magically lighting all the candles in the room, while he jumped back in shock. "You're a demon!"
The man sitting down corrected him as he retorted, "Technically, I'm a God, but a lot of people make that mistake. I'm Hades, Lord of the Underworld."
The older brother glared at him as he curtly asked, "What do you want?"
"I want the precious cargo aboard this ship," the deity responded, while Liam's face changed to a look of confusion. "The beautiful, shiny, new souls you're trying to save."
"Don't bother with that," he said smugly with a chuckle when Liam swiftly grabbed a sword and pointed it at Hades' chest. "You can't hurt me. I'm immortal. Lucky for you, I can't hurt you, either. At least not up here, not in the Overworld. That's what I call this place. My power has its limits here, which is why I came to offer you a deal. You agree to let this ship sink like I want, and I promise to use my magic to ensure you and your brother survive. And to sweeten the deal, I'll even throw in this…"
Hades suddenly magically produced the deep blue glowing stone Silver and his crew had been after and upon seeing it in the God's hands, Liam became stunned by it as he uttered, "It's the Eye of the Storm."
The God spoke again enticingly as he answered, "You deliver this to your King, and he'll give you anything you want, including that Navy job you've always wanted. Your dreams can be fulfilled."
Within the memory, Killian watched as his brother stared between the priceless stone and the deity still holding it until Liam turned away as he thought of the deal placed before him. As much as the younger Jones could tell that Liam knew the decision he was about to make was wrong from how much he was struggling with making it, in the end the truth was that a deal between them was struck when the older Jones reached his hand out to the God to snatch the jewel.
"So… do you believe now that your brother isn't quite the perfect example you thought he was?" Hades asked his prisoner when the memory ended and he pulled his hand away to give Killian relief from the pain that came along with forcing the memory into his mind. "Because he isn't. I figured you finally have the right to know the truth, now that you're finally here in my realm… and dead."
"It doesn't matter," Killian replied weakly, without lifting his head from his chest to look at any of the men still surrounding him. "Just leave Liam out… of this. This is about me. Get on with whatever you… you've got planned."
The God of the Underworld smiled cruelly and looked around at the other pirates, then said, "Fine by me. What do you say, Silver? Shall we head back to your ship?"
The Captain looked towards the two men manning the wheel working the pulley which controlled the chains Killian was bound in and motioned for the pirates to give the slack so they could release him from them, then Silver turned back to Hades as he uttered, "I'll be glad to have at least one of my slaves back again. We've had two hundred years of our own hell for him to make up for."
Still shackled by his arms and ankles, the pirates under Silver's command dragged Killian between them as they made their way through the caverns and tunnels that made up the depths of the Underworld. Hades walked along among them while he and the older Captain who had been long dead talked quietly amongst themselves in a conversation Killian could barely make out one word of. At last, the deity suddenly vanished, leaving them alone with the prisoner so they could have their fun with him.